Portland, Oregon’s Unto Others have announced details of their new album Strength, which will be released September 24 on Roadrunner Records and is available for pre-order today. The band have also shared the new song, “Downtown” which is streaming today on all platforms and joined by an official music video directed by Brock Grossl. Find preorder options here.

Unto Others’ vocalist / guitarist Gabriel Franco elaborated on the genesis of Strength sharing, “I wish I could say it came to me like a bolt of lightning, but the record was a process. A challenging process, to write, record and mix. It was 10 months from beginning to end, and the most time I’ve ever spent on an album. You can decide if that's good or bad. Arthur did a great job giving the record an organic heavy sound and it was a privilege to work with him. What we have at the end is something I am extremely proud of, for better or worse, and a constant reminder to myself that we don't do things because they are easy, we do them because they are hard.”

Produced and mixed by Arthur Rizk, Strength was recorded between June 2020 and April 2021 at Redwood Studio in Philadelphia, PA and Falcon Studios in Portland, OR. The forthcoming release marks Unto Others’ debut album on Roadrunner Records and the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2019 LP Mana. Strength also features the single “When Will Gods Work Be Done” which arrived earlier this summer alongside news of the band’s signing.  

Comprised of Gabriel Franco (Vocals / Guitar), Brandon Hill (Bass), Sebastian Silva (Guitar), and Colin Vranizan (Drums), Unto Others formed in Portland, OR in 2017 and quickly made waves out of the Pacific Northwest under their previous band name Idle Hands. Following 2018’s Don’t Waste Your Time EP, they released their debut full-length album Mana in 2019 to widespread acclaim. Unto Others joined King Diamond and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats on a sold-out coast-to-coast tour across North America in support of Mana and returned in 2020 with the surprise release of Don’t Waste Your Time II.

Next up, Unto Others will join Behemoth, Arch Enemy, and Carcass for a massive European fall tour, kicking off September 28 in Dublin, Ireland and running for six weeks through November 7 at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway.

Tracklisting:

“Heroin”
“Downtown”
“When Will Gods Work Be Done”
“No Children Laughing Now”
“Destiny”
“Little Bird”
“Why”
“Just A Matter Of Time”
“Hell Is For Children”
“Summer Lightning”
“Instinct”
“Strength” 

“Downtown” video:

“When Will Gods Work Be Done”:

(Top photo by: Peter Beste)




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Canadian hard rock/metal band Celestial Ruin takes the next step in their bold musical evolution with their hard-hitting new single “See U Nxt Tuezday.”

From their auspicious beginnings as a symphonic metal band 10 years ago, they embrace a decidedly straight-forward, harder edge sound with their latest single, the result of a dynamic period of growth and ongoing quest to broaden their horizons while still staying true to themselves. 

Produced by Jay Van Poederooyen (Hinder, Devin Townsend) in their hometown of Vancouver, “See U Nxt Tuezday” heralds the group as a tour-de-force as they deliver an energetic, uncompromising performance. Driven by Larissa’s powerful vocals, the track pummels the listener as it winds its way through a plethora of starts and stops, which helps to highlight the group’s technical prowess. 

The video for the song captures the band in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, standing tall as the world burns around them. Directed by Dave Benedict (Default, Bonds of Mara), with whom they worked on their “Heart-Shaped Ashes” video, Larissa said they felt the track warranted an atypical treatment, something Benedict was happy to indulge them with. 

“Dave saw this as a performance video, but with a twist. We wanted the edgy energy of the song to be at the forefront of the video because ultimately, we wanted to create something that might pique someone’s curiosity and give them a reason to stop scrolling.”




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Frontiers Music Srl has released Circus Of Rock's debut album, Come One, Come All. Circus Of Rock is a new band, or rather a massive musical project, masterminded by drummer Mirka Rantanen (King Company). Watch a video for "Crossroads" below, and order Come One, Come All here.

"My musical influences in making Come One, Come All come from a mix of artists I've been exposed to over the years. My own bands which I've been involved in and, of course, my own musical idols. In music, I love more than anything classic melodic hard rock and that shows on this album. I wanted to make the kind of music I could stand behind completely. The intention was just to have fun with musicians I admire and have everybody perform great songs," says Circus Of Rock mastermind Mirka Rantanen.

"As for the recording of the album, last summer we had all the songs and demos ready. I recorded the drums in early autumn and then everyone else did their part in different studios or at home during autumn and end of the year. Since the album has almost 40 musicians, it was a bit of a challenge to keep everything in order when it comes to sessions. Dozens of tracks could arrive to me on the same day. I worked closely with mixer Kimmo Ahola so that we both kept up to date with what was coming in, what had been transferred, etc. It was quite a job and I still have to tip my hat to Kimmo for putting this puzzle together," continues Rantanen.

Come One, Come All has a killer line-up of singers and musicians, a full list of which you can see below. The amazing talents involved come from the likes of Amaranthe, Tyketto, Hardline, Nightwish, Leverage, and more, plus musicians from bands such as Stratovarius, Brother Firetribe, Masterplan, and others.

Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell frontman Johnny Gioeli handles lead vocals on first single "Desperate Cry". Rantanen explains, "'Desperate Cry' was called 'Why' at first, but when Johnny got it, he wanted to change the lyric a little bit and it became 'Desperate Cry'. This was the first song that came together for the album. It is written by songwriter/guitarist Ade Manninen and as soon as I heard the demo of it, I was absolutely sure it would go to Johnny. It fits his voice perfectly. Unfortunately, Ade died of cancer May 9th and will not be able to see the release of the song or the entire album. The guy in the video is a "stunt guitarist" because Ade was no longer able to participate in the video shootings due to his health. But he's in our memories now here and a few other songs he plays on. The song is about a relationship ending between two people and the pain involved with that, but after Ade's death, the story took on a whole new meaning, at least for me."

“A few years ago I started to think about recording a solo album; however, I didn’t want to do just a traditional solo album. That’s because people often think a solo album is mainly to allow the musicians to show off their fantastic skills and magnificent instruments, but I wanted to focus more on the great songs that don’t happen to have extra drum solos. I also wanted to include many fantastic colleagues with whom I have played over the years on this album, and in addition a couple of great guest singers. My intention is to get the album released in 2021, when I turn 50. And now this will happen thanks to the Frontiers label. The album will be a kind of milestone in my professional career, my long-term 'dream that is finally coming true' type of thing," says Rantanen.

Confirmed singers and musicians appearing on the album include:

- Jarkko Ahola
- Rick Altzi (Masterplan)
- Kimmo Blom (Leverage)
- Johnny Gioeli (Hardline)
- Marco Hietala (ex-Nightwish)
- Erik Kraemer (Simulacrum)
- Mark Quee
- Antti Railio
- Pasi Rantanen (Thunderstone)
- Elize Ryd (Amaranthe)
- Tommi “Tuple” Salmela
- Riku Turunen
- Danny Vaughn (Tyketto)

Mirka Rantanen has a long career in the Finnish hard rock scene. He has played on 40+ albums during his 30 year career, including releases by King Company, Raskasta Joulua, Kotipelto, Warmen, Northern Kings, Revolution Renaissance, and more. In addition, ten years ago he created the very popular heavy rock band for kids called Hevisaurus, for which he was awarded the Emma Award in 2011 (the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy).

Tracklisting:

"The Beat" (Feat. Riku Turunen)
"Desperate Cry" (Feat. Johnny Gioeli)
"Sheriff Of Ghost Town" (Feat. Marco Hietala)
"Never" (Feat. Kimmo Blom)
"In Times Of Despair" (Feat. Elize Ryd)
"Crossroads" (Feat. Pasi Rantanen)
"Caught In The Middle" (Feat. Danny Vaughn)
"Plywood Covered Windows And Crappy Shoes" (Antti Railio)
"Edge Of Love" (Feat. Rick Altzi)
"Set Me Free" (Feat. Jarkko Ahola
"Everafter" (Feat. Tommi “Tuple” Salmela)
"No Reason" (Feat. Marc Quee)
"Tears Of The Clown" (Feat. Erik Kraemer)
"Burning" (Bonus Track Digital)

"Crossroads" (Feat. Pasi Rantanen) video:

"In Times Of Despair" (Feat. Elize Ryd):

"Desperate Cry" (Feat. Johnny Gioeli) video:




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Frontiers Music Srl has released the debut album, Overload, from Brazil's Spektra, a new, exciting project by BJ, a stellar vocalist from the modern Brazilian hard rock scene.

Watch a video for "Running Out Of Time" below, and order/save Overload here.

Tracklisting:

"Overload"
"Runnin' Out Of Time"
"Just Because"
"Since I Found You"
"Our Love"
"Breakaway"
"Don't Matter"
"Back Into Light"
"Forsaken"
"Behind Closed Door"
"Lonely Road"

"Runnin' Out Of Time" video:

"Just Because" video:

"Overload" video:

Lineup:

BJ - Vocals
Leo Mancini - Guitars
Edu Cominato - Drums
Henrique Canale - Bass




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Norwegian blackened Viking metal band, Hjelvik, unleashes a brand-new single called "Synkverving:, that features a guest appearance by Lars Nedland from White Void and Borknagar. The single follows the release of Hjelvik's debut album, Welcome To Hel, in late 2020 and is also strongly based on Norse mythology and Viking themes, paired with the raw and sinister tone that is typical for the band.

The single comes with an animated music video, that you can watch below. Get the single digitally here.

Frontman Erlend Hjelvik comments: "This doomy little ditty was recorded during the Welcome To Hel sessions and is now released in all its glory with a brand new mix and master courtesy of fellow countryman Endre Kirkesola (Abbath & Green Carnation). Making things sound extra Norwegian, 'Synkverving' features the debut of Hjelvik rhythm guitarist Remi André Nygård and awesome guest vocals and organ by Lars Are Nedland (White Void, Borknagar & Solefald). The cherry on top of this pagan pie is an animated video created by Zak Kirwin (Ghoul & Spirit Adrift) who brings the "mound people" to life! Listen loud!"

Hjelvik is the solo-band of ex-Kvelertak frontman, lyricist and co-founder Erlend Hjelvik. After touring worldwide with some of the world's greatest bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Ghost and earning four Norwegian Spellemann awards, Erlend parted ways with his bandmates in 2018 and has spent the last two years songwriting and creating Hjelvik's first solo album.

Hjelvik is:

Erlend Hjelvik - Vocals, Lyrics and Songwriting
Rob Steinway - Lead Guitar
Remi André Nygård - Rhythm Guitar
Alexis Lieu - Bass
Kevin Foley - Drums




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Classical metal collective Lost Symphony, have issued a new video for “Acceptance”, a grand musical piece featuring guest performances by guitar wizards Alex Skolnick, Angel Vivaldi and Richard Shaw, from the collective’s latest album, Chapter III. Watch below.

“I was instantly moved when I first heard this song,” says Vivaldi. “The solo came out almost instantly and with much ease thanks to the uplifting, melodic nature of the arrangement. It’s a stunning piece of music and I'm quite grateful to have been able to contribute to it!”

Having performed on other tracks on Chapter III, when asked to contribute to “Acceptance,” both Skolnick and Shaw were excited to lend a hand. “After becoming familiar with the Lost Symphony gang and working on ‘Take Another Piece,’ I was more than happy to jump in for an additional guest spot on ‘Acceptance,’” Skonick says. “This tune has a flavor that is different from the first one and it was nice to get the chance to bring in some other elements. It's been great to see the response to ‘Take Another Piece’ and I'm sure all those listeners will appreciate this one as well.”

Shaw adds, “I chomped at the bit to work with Lost Symphony again, especially when I was told the other players would be Alex and Angel, both of whom I've admired for a long time. When I was sent the track, I loved that it had a different feel to the other songs I had contributed solos to. ‘Acceptance’ was a little more Andrew Lloyd Webber, and allowed for more grand melodic statements alongside the shred that LOST SYMPHONY are known for. It's hard not to smile when I listen back. It's a great composition and I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of it.”

Lost Symphony was set in motion when multi-instrumentalist and producer Benny Goodman invited guitarists Kelly Kereliuk and Conrad Simon to add another dimension to the classical demo he had composed. An early recording of “Leave Well Enough Alone,” which appeared on the band’s Chapter II album, made its way to Herbert, who quickly jumped aboard as a chief collaborator.

The group’s tribute to Herbert, “My Last Goodbye,” featuring some of the guitarist’s last recordings, was unveiled last month.

The collective founded by multi-instrumentalist and producer Benny Goodman and comprising his brother Brian (compositions, arrangement), Cory Paza (bass, guitar), Kelly Kereliuk (guitar), Paul Lourenco (drums), and Siobhán Cronin (violin, viola, electric violin), has once again welcomed a revolving cast of virtuosos to join them for Chapter III. This installment includes Marty Friedman, Nuno Bettencourt, Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson, Richard Shaw, Angel Vivaldi, Jimi Bell, Jeff Loomis, Joey Concepcion, Matt LaPierre, Oli Herbert, Matt LaPierre and Ryan Formato.

Order the album here.

Chapter III tracklist:

"Denial Of Anger" (feat. Marty Friedman, David Ellefson, Jimi Bell & Matt LaPierre)

"Bargaining Depression" (feat. Marty Friedman, David Ellefson, Jimi Bell & Joey Concepcion)

"Acceptance" (feat. Alex Skolnick, Angel Vivaldi & Richard Shaw)

"Decomposing Composers" (feat. Jeff Loomis, Jimi Bell, Matt LaPierre & Joey Concepcion)

"Take Another Piece" (feat. Marty Friedman, Nuno Bettencourt, Alex Skolnick & Richard Shaw)

"My Last Goodbye" (feat. Oli Herbert, Matt LaPierre & Ryan Formatto)

"Take Another Piece" video:

(Band art by Boris Groh)




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Sick Of It All have released an animated lyric video for their track, “Beef Between Vegans”. Watch below.

“We're excited to announce the release of our apocalyptic and hopefully not prophetic lyric video for 'Beef Between Vegans'. Please check it out and keep an eye out as we add more tour dates to our calendar. Can't wait to see all of you again,” states Sick Of It All about the release.

“Beef Between Vegans” is off the band’s recent full-length album, Wake The Sleeping Dragon!. For the release, Century Media Records teamed up with Fat Wreck Chords, who put out the CD and vinyl version in the US. The album was produced by Jerry Farley at Nova Studios in Staten Island, New York and mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen (Meshuggah, The Haunted) at Antfarm Studios in Aabyhøj, Denmark.

Tour dates:

August
27 - Providence, RI - Dusk
28 - Wallingford, CT - Cherry Street Station

(Photo - Jammi York)




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Legendary hard rockers, Night Ranger, have released their 12th studio album, ATBPO, via Frontiers Music Srl. Listen to the song "Tomorrow" below.

ATBPO stands for And The Band Played On, an ode to making music during the covid era. Its available on CD and Vinyl (several limited edition, color vinyl versions), as well as digitally across all streaming platforms.

The band began writing the album in early 2020, amid the onset of the global pandemic. After narrowing down the song selection and tightening them up to their well-known rock ‘n’ roll sound, the band hit the studio, although separately, due to the times we are in. Throughout ATBPO, we hear Night Ranger continuing their hot streak that kicked off with 2011's Somewhere In California. Ten years on, and two highly acclaimed albums later, High Road and Don't Let Up, the band's latest studio work shows them still burning with that high octane hard rock energy they are known for. Night Ranger has always had a knack for killer melodies, intricate instrumentation, and captivating lyrics; ATBPO delivers all of that and more.

"The process was strange but the outcome rocks." - Jack Blades

"This record was incredibly hard to do as we could not be in a room together with all the COVID-19 issues that were going on. But sometimes you do your best work when there’s a deadline approaching." - Kelly Keagy

“It’s been a crazy but fun task trying to write and finish this new record in a Covid situation. A few zoom video gatherings got us started. With everybody in the band having their own home studios, we were all able to elaborate and add our own textures to each song. As a Vintage Guitar Collector, I was able to add some great classic sounds to rhythm and solos using my 57 Strat and 52 Goldtop! I hope everyone enjoys the record!" - Brad Gillis

Having sold over 17 million albums worldwide, performed across more than 4000 stages, and enjoyed a radio audience that exceeds 1 billion, Night Ranger has both epitomized and transcended the arena rock sound and style well beyond that era. With multiple songs having a significant impact on popular culture, Night Ranger continues to grow their fanbase. The band is proof that powerful songs alongside incredibly talented musicians is the perfect formula for continued success.

Night Ranger is Jack Blades (bass, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead & rhythm guitars), Eric Levy (keyboards), and Keri Kelli (lead & rhythm guitars).

ATBPO is available on CD, Digital, and the following LP versions:

ATBPO Red Vinyl - Available Everywhere
ATBPO Crystal Vinyl - Frontiers U.S. & EU Webstore Exclusive, Limited to 400 Copies
ATBPO Blue Vinyl - Newbury Comics Exclusive, Limited to 300 Copies
ATBPO Yellow Vinyl - Night Ranger Webstore Exclusive, Limited to 400 Copies

A bonus track, “Savior” appears on the CD & LP versions of ATBPO only.

Save/order here.

Tracklisting:

“Coming For You”
“Bring It All Home To Me”
“Breakout”
“Hard To Make It Easy”
“Can’t Afford A Hero”
“Cold As December”
“Dance”
“The Hardest Road”
“Monkey”
“A Lucky Man”
“Tomorrow”
“Savior” (CD/LP bonus track)

"Tomorrow":

“Bring It All Home To Me” video:

“Breakout” video:




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"We LOVED playing 'My Fate' live and, for those who were at the shows, it seemed to rock your world as well," states a message from The Dead Daisies. "Sooo... for all you guys, ''My Fate (Radio Edit) is out today!"

Stream the single at Spotify and Apple Music, and watch a video teaser below.

More from the band: "As you all look forward to the upcoming Like No Other World Tour, we’re invading the airwaves with the release of ‘My Fate’! The crowds lapped up this darker and more mysterious track during the warm-up shows in the US last month and we love playing this song live! ‘My Fate’ is available now on your favourite digital platforms so stream away and turn it up loud!

"We’re ready and rearing to head out on their Like No Other Tour kicking off at the Apollo Theater in Rochford Illinois on September 10th with twenty nights of Rock and Comedy featuring the high energy Arizona rock trio The Black Moods and former ‘That Metal Show’ comedic icon Don Jamieson! Let’s enjoy this ride together!!"

Tour dates:

September
10 - The Apollo Theater AC - Rockford, IL
11 - The Forge - Joliet, IL
13 - Piere’s - Fort Wayne, IN
14 - Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
17 - The Showplace Theater - Buffalo, NY
18 - The Landis - Vineland, NJ
20 - Sony Hall - New York, NY
22 - Elevation 27 - Virginia Beach, VA
24 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
25 - Jannus Live - St. Petersburg, FL
27 - Pop’s - Sauget, IL
29 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
30 - The Rock Box - San Antonio, TX

October
2 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
3 - Come and Take It Live - Austin, TX
7 - Ramona Mainstage - San Diego, CA
9 - The Vermont - Hollywood, CA
10 - Goldfield Trading Post (Placer) - Roseville, CA
12 - Alberta Rose Theater - Portland, OR
15 - Neptune Theater - Seattle, WA




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Live Nation will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry to its concerts, according to an internal memo obtained by Variety.

The document, which was signed by Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, states that Live Nation will be adopting the same practices that have already been implemented "successfully at many major shows, including Lollapalooza."

"Our teams have worked together to put new processes in place so that artists doing shows with Live Nation in the US can require all attendees and staff to be fully vaccinated or show a negative test result for entry, where permitted by law," Rapino said. "We believe this is a great model".

The people attending Lollapalooza last month at Chicago's Grant Park were required to show proof that they had been vaccinated for COVID-19 or tested negative for the disease within the previous three days.

The four-day Lollapalooza started July 29 and drew over 100,000 attendees per day. 90% of attendees on the first day of the event reportedly proved they were vaccinated.

According to USA Today, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot defended the decision to hold the festival, citing strict pandemic precautions that required concertgoers show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test and to wear a m

Rockborn’s new single/video, “Rock Me Harder,” serves as a preview of the group’s forthcoming studio album, arriving in spring 2022.

Comprised of members Lu Reid (vocals), John Lyell (guitar), Dino Serna (bass), and Gary Gabaldon (drums), Rockborn is a female-fronted heavy rock band that is intense, sexy, bluesy yet edgy with raspy, sassy power vocals performed with dynamic emotional passion.

Dark, tasty guitar riffs and funky fresh bass lines are lifted up to the stratosphere by hard-hitting, solid drum rhythms and powerful, soaring vocals. Rockborn creates music with heartfelt lyrics, emotional depth, melodic intricacies that have modern, contagious hard energy, down-to-earth classic grit, heavy with mystical “Zeppelinesque” romance and enduring timeless appeal.

The “Rock Me Harder” single/video sums it all up perfectly. Watch the video below, and stream/pre-save the single here.

“‘Rock Me Harder’ was born out of a couple of rough ideas between John, who had this incredibly heavy riff, and some lyrics I had been toying with for quite some time,” explains Lu. “His riff gave me a shove in the right lyrical direction. I needed the foundation and inspiration that his riffs gave me to finish the lyrics, and of course after hearing Dino and Gary throw in their ingenious licks to John’s riffs, I was able to come up with the melody lines and the phrasing needed to kick this song into gear.

“Overall, this song is a culmination of the synchronicity of all the members of Rockborn. I’m very pleased with the ferocity and impactful energy that John, Dino, Gary and I gave to this very powerful female empowerment song. I hope that everyone, digs on this fantastic groove that Gary and Dino masterfully perform and also the badass riff and the brilliant lead guitar of John. Most of all I want women to know that they deserve what they want and they can have what they want. Just be bold and ask for it, like ‘Rock Me Harder’ does!”

Rockborn is perfectly poised to build upon the buzz created by the Michael Wagener-produced, engineered and mastered previous album, Born To Rock, which spawned the popular video “Reasons Why I Cry,” which has received 2.25 million views on YouTube. “Rock Me Harder” most certainly delivers.




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The long-awaited fourth album by the Swedish-Spanish band Putrevore, entitled Miasmal Monstrosity, is now ready for its release on October 5, again through Xtreem Music on CD, 12"LP, Cassette and Digital formats. Listen to the first single, "With Tentacles Adorned", below.

Formed in 2004 by Dave Rotten (Avulsed, Holycide) and Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader), Putrevore has been forging its heavy, dense and brutal sound through three albums and two split EP's. In Miasmal Monstrosity, the band has perfected their sound, and while the current fashion, when it comes to dark and heavy death metal, is based on imitating Incantation, Putrevore continues its own vision creating a perfect album where both the own band's name and the album title, perfectly define what the nine songs included here sound like; A sound that's incredibly brutal, heavy, dense, crushing, intense, dark, putrid... Rogga's vicious and morbid riffs, along with Dave Rotten's monstrously decomposed and inhuman voice and Brynjar's intense and crushing drumming, make Miasmal Monstrosity possibly the most overwhelming death metal album of the year.

And if this was not enough, Russian artist Daemorph Art has created an incredible art for the front cover of this album, clearly, unsurpassed.

Miasmal Monstrosity tracklisting:

"Those Who Dwell Beyond"
"Vortex Devourer"
"Terrible End Of The Conjurer"
"Clad In Skin And Rot"
"Bloodlust Of The Sleepers"
"Miasmal Monstrosity"
"The Fleshmen Awaits"
"With Tentacles Adorned"
"Consume All Flesh"

"With Tentacles Adorned":




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West Texas metal outfit, Pissing Razors, has released the first details for their forthcoming seventh studio effort, Eulogy Death March, set for release in mid-September.

Guitarist Mat Lynch describes the group’s latest effort as “brutally raw and tastefully ferocious”, and sees a return to the group’s signature punk infused heavy groove with co-founder Eddy Garcia (ex-Overkill) on drums and original vocalist Joe Rodriguez. The band welcomes back Sterling Winfield (Pantera, Hellyeah) as mix/master engineer.

The album track listing features, among other standouts, a cover of Nailbomb’s “Wasting Away” with guest vocals from Skinlab frontman Steev Esquivel.

The band will debut the album at their CD release party on Friday, October 1, at Ricky D’s in El Paso, Texas. Live concert footage will be filmed for a future video.

Pissing Razors is an American groove-based heavy metal band formed in 1994 in El Paso, Texas. The sole purpose was and still is to incite a musical tone loud and aggressive in ferocity and heavy in punk and metal elements. Their first CD was an independent release, followed by their first official album, Pissing Razors, produced by Andy Sneap. Five more CDs followed with touring that saw two stints in Europe. With their seventh album, Eulogy Death March getting ready for release, the band hopes to tour, depending on the ongoing Covid situation.




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Florida death metal veterans MASSACRE will release their fourth full-length album, "Resurgence", on October 22 via Nuclear Blast. The official visualizer for the LP's first single, "The Innsmouth Strain", can be seen below.

Commenting on the upcoming album and new single, vocalist Kam Lee states: "It's all about Lovecraft, isn't it? Honesty though, aesthetically MASSACRE needed two main things to return to be proper. A) The return to the core roots of O.S.D.M. (Old School Death Metal) style death metal that late '80s, early '90s sound. Musically, the record has to retain that nostalgic retro style. B) To return to the lyrical aesthetics laden with influences heavily drawn from the stories and fictional mythos that is all Lovecraftian.

"'The Innsmouth Strain' is heavily influenced by the H.P. Lovecraft story 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' yet has my own twisted take on transmutation body horror aspects thrown in. I sort of lyrically give it a David Cronenberg/Junji Ito-type spin on a Lovecraft fiction. So lyrically it is basically about body horror of aquatic transmutation. Any deeper meaning then that is just speculative, but could simply be metaphor for our world's current situation with the pandemic and other threats of the spreading of viral infection. Musically it's just proper O.S.D.M. the way it's meant to be played and properly represented by MASSACRE."

Joining Lee and bassist Mike Borders for the new album are guitarists Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER), Jonny Pettersson (GODS FORSAKEN, WOMBBATH, HENRY KANE) and Scott Fairfax (MEMORIAM, AS THE WORLD DIES), along with drummer Brynjar Helgeton (CRYPTICUS, THE GROTESQUERY). There are additional guest performances by Marc Grewe (INSIDIOUS DISEASE), Dave Ingram (BENEDICTION), Anders Odden (CADAVER) and Pete Slate (DRUID LORD) The LP was recorded with producer and death metal icon Dan Swanö (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, ex-BLOODBATH) and Pettersson as engineer/mixer.

MASSACRE's upcoming album will be the first to feature Borders, as well as the band's first recording in 25 years to feature Lee (ex-DEATH, ex-MANTAS).

Nuclear Blast's U.S.A. general manager Gerardo Martinez, who signed MASSACRE, said: "For many of us at Nuclear Blast, MASSACRE is one of our favorite bands, and instrumental in the formative years of death metal and with their debut album alone. It paved the way to many artists to follow. It's an honor to be working a brand new record with Kam Lee on vocals after nearly 30 years!"

Last September, drummer Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC., THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG) and guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, GOREGÄNG) announced their departure from MASSACRE. The duo had joined the group less than a year earlier and were said to be working on MASSACRE's fourth studio album at Kling/Nordberg's own Smoke & Mirrors Productions in Spring Hill, Florida.

Kling and Nordberg said in a statement that "what was presented as a democracy turned out to be a dictatorship with an excruciating lack of communication."

MASSACRE parted ways with guitarist Rick Rozz and drummer Mike Mazzonetto in September 2019. At the time, Lee and Borders blamed the split on "contract infringement violations," "poor performance, incompetence, and lack of professionalism."

MASSACRE's latest album, 2014's "Back From Beyond", featured Rozz and Mazzonetto alongside bassist Terry Butler and vocalist Ed Webb.

In early 2017, Butler — who is now playing bass for OBITUARY — told Metal Wani that Rozz and Mazzonetto "destroyed" MASSACRE with their "behind-the-scenes backtalking and backstabbing." He went on to make it clear that Rozz and Lee's then-collaboration could not be called MASSACRE. He said: "They can do all they want and write all the songs in the world they want, but it's not gonna be called MASSACRE."

Scorpions have uploaded new classic footage, this time of the Taken By Force track "He's A Woman, She's A Man" live from Mexico City on March 23, 1994.

Scorpions have offered fans a first glance at their new music. The currently untitled effort will be the band's 19th studio album; a release date has not yet been announced.

Scorpions singer Klaus Meine, along with guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs uploaded the following video to social media from Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany.

According to Klaus: "We're in the studio right now, as you can see — Peppermint Park in Hannover — and this morning, we decided to give you guys a little snippet. We're here for a year. We spent so much time in here working with the recording sessions. And right now it's so very exciting to finally listen to the mixes coming in from Berlin the other day. And we just wanted to share this moment with all of you out there. And believe me, we can't wait — not only to give you a little snippet but to play you the whole damn album. All right? And we'll see you out there."

 

 
New Album Snippet

Dear Fans, here comes a little snippet for you... we can‘t wait to play you the whole album! 🤘 🦂 🤘 - Scorpions

Posted by Scorpions on Monday, 7 June 2021




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Norwegian death metal vets, Blood Red Throne, will release their 10th album, Imperial Congregation, on October 8 via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band pull back back the curtain on a decimating song, titled "Conquered Malevolence".

Founding guitarist Daniel Olaisen comments on the song: "'Conquered Malevolence' started with Meathook showing me a cool riff of his. I modified it a bit and it became the opening riff of this kick ass tune. It has some classic death metal riffs and this really tasty solo. Lyrics is about growing your individual strength. Learning not to live for anything else, be it religious, material or simply popularity."

With over 25 years and 10 albums soon to be under their belt, Blood Red Throne is dedicated to the continual delivery of straight forward, exceptional death metal with Imperial Congregation being no exception.

“This time around we’ve made something new and fresh in our sound. We felt it from the very first song that was written; this will take us to a whole different level in terms of arrangements, riffs, vocals... everything. We are super-excited to share this with our fans, and in cooperation with the greatest label ever,” says Olaisen.

Imperial Congregation delivers quality, old school sound while reflecting in part upon the self righteous nature of humanity and its incessant need to destroy itself through power, ignorance and religion.

“We live outside this system,” explains Olaisen. “We don’t join in on the sheep mentality. Create your own possibilities, be responsible for your own misery or success!”                        

The haunting, organic album artwork was designed by the infamous Marcelo Vasco. The image displays a flock of old, religious men as they meet in secrecy to design the laws of lower society.

“Many of our lyrics deal with our skepticism of religion, and of mankind in general. Be free or be dead,” says Olaisen. "Two gigantic skeletons tower over the men of worship as they dictate human fate by candlelight."

Pre-order Imperial Congregation here.

Imperial Congregation tracklisting:

"Imperial Congregation"
"Itika"
"Conquered Malevolence"
"Transparent Existence"
"Inferior Elegance"
"We All Bleed"
"6-7"
"Consumed Illusion"
"Hero-Antics"
"Zarathurstra"

"Itika" lyric video:

Lineup:

Daniel ”Død” Olaisen - Guitar
Ivan ”Meathook” Gujic - Guitar
Freddy "the Shred" Bolsø - Drums
Stian "Gunner" Gundersen - Bass
Yngve "Bolt" Christiansen - Vocals

(Photo - Matthias Moser)




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As they prepare for the release of their monumental new E.P. Forge Your Future, Spirit Adrift have reemerged with a music video for the album’s stunning second single “Wake Up.”  

Vocalist/guitarist Nate Garrett comments: “The video for 'Wake Up' marks the third time we’ve worked with Guilherme Henriques, and these collaborations somehow produce better results every time. Guilherme has become a crucial contributor to how we visually express ourselves. For this video, he and I began by discussing a certain story arc from Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing comics, and our own unique vision took shape from there."  

He continues, "'Wake Up' was written at the height of the toilet paper buying frenzy. As usual, I was totally disgusted with humanity, and I needed to write about it. This song celebrates the reason we all got into metal/rock n roll in the first place. Music is a way of life that offers us freedom from the insane expectations of a sick society. While this video is our first foray into anything resembling fun or humor, it wholeheartedly delivers the sincere message of the song. TURN ON, TUNE IN, DROP OUT.”

Written at the beginning of the pandemic, Forge Your Future features three new songs that showcase Spirit Adrift at their strongest.  Recorded at Homewrecker Recording Studio with Ryan Bram at the helm, the tracks were handed over to the legendary Zeuss to handle the E.P.’s mixing and mastering.  Garrett comments, "These songs, and this band, represent persevering through difficult times, staying true to your innermost self, and celebrating the life-affirming power of metal. We can’t wait to see you all live and in the flesh, in the meantime we hope you enjoy the tunes."

Since their inception, Spirit Adrift is much more than an obsession for Garrett.  It’s become a mission unto itself — a quest to re-cast the power and potential of melodic metal, doom and hard rock like the masters before him. Garrett's songwriting style teeters between vintage and modern, combining intelligent lyrics that provoke spiritual and philosophical thought with bold hooks and gilded riffs.  With four albums behind Garrett and drummer Marcus Bryant, including 2020’s year-end chart-topper Enlightened In Eternity, Spirit Adrift have shown the world just what heavy metal can be.  

Forge Your Future will be available August 27 from Century Media on vinyl and digital formats; pre-orders are available on Bandcamp .




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Wacken TV has shared pro-shot footage of Norwegian black metal horde Tsjuder performing at Wacken Open Air 2016. Check out the full set below.

Setlist: 

"Demon Throne"
"Slakt"
"Ghoul"
"Demonic Supremacy"
"Mouth of Madness"
"Unholy Paragon"
"Antiliv"
"Sacrifice" (Bathory Cover)




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Three years since their latest album, Purgatorio, Gothenburg metal force Manimal has announced to return with a brand new studio record this fall. Armageddon is slated for a release on October 8, 2021 via AFM Records.

Despite the band‘s loyalty to traditional heavy metal influences, Purgatorio was a prime example of modern and trend-setting power metal characterised by musical enthusiasm, exceptional talent and new ideas. As expected of a band that claims Judas Priest, King Diamond and Queensrÿche as major influences on their sound since Day 1, ManimaL’s new record is a high energy, in-your-face salute to the music that inspired them over the past 20 years.

But calling Manimal "just" a power metal band, however, is way off the mark according to vocalist Samuel Nyman. "We are more than power metal. It was our label that put Manimal into the power metal category with our first album, and we understand that completely because they had to put us in a genre to guide people. Power metal for me are bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray and Stratovarius; they have more up-tempo songs, more vocal harmonies. Sure, Manimal does have power metal elements but we're not pure power metal. There is more to us than that and I think the new album is perfect example of that."

After the previously- released singles "Forged In Metal" and "The Inevitable End", Manimal have unleashed the epic album title track! Watch the official music video for "Armageddon" below.

The songwriting for Armageddon was once again headed up by guitarist Henrik Stenroos, considered by his bandmates to be the musical mastermind behind Manimal. And therein lies the secret to the band's more-than-power-metal sound. Stenroos listens to all different types of music and because of that colourful musical palette, according to Nyman, "he boils it down and gets his own ideas, trying to create something he likes himself." Stenroos has a solid riff-oriented approach to Manimal's music, and the material he presented to the rest of the band for Armageddon were actual songs rather than just mere ideas. As with their three previous records, the quartet worked together fleshing the songs into their final form. "The vocals harmonies Henrik gives me are played with the guitar," says Nyman, offering up one example of their creative process for Armageddon, which was mixed by Manimal bassist Kenny Boufadene at his Studio Meltdown in Sweden. "We have been making music together for so many years now that I can almost hear by the way he's playing how he wants me to deliver the vocals. It's not very often that we disagree in the songwriting process."

”I’m really proud we’ve managed to create yet another great album together," Henrik Stenroos adds. "And it’s been a team effort. All four of us have put so much soul and effort into everything from song writing to recording, with the result of a really heavy and all through awesome sounding album without any fillers what so ever. The fans of our previous works will not be disappointed."

Manimal's evolution between Armageddon and their first album, The Darkest Room - released in 2009 - is unquestionable. Their songwriting has become tighter, stronger and bolder, and they have improved by leaps and bounds as musicians. Armageddon will showcase their wide range of a heavy as hell sound, and one that will most likely win over the true hearts of both the old-school and every modern metal fan.

Armageddon will be available as LP, CD and Digital formats. Preorder options available here.

Tracklisting:

“Burn In Hell”
“Armageddon”
“Slaves Of Babylon”
“Forged In Metal”
“Chains Of Fury”
“Evil Soul”
“Path To The Unknown”
“Master Of Pain”
“Insanity”
“The Inevitable End”

“Forged In Metal”

“The Inevitable End”:




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California rockers PAPA ROACH have unveiled their swagger-packed motorcade music video directed by Darren Craig (SLIPKNOT, RIHANNA, BIG SEAN, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) for their new track "Swerve". The high-octane thrill ride featuring the outspoken frontman of FEVER 333, Jason Aalon Butler, and rising Los Angeles-based rapper Sueco is the first track pulled from the band's forthcoming studio album.

"This track came at the very end of the writing process for our upcoming album and truly feels like the culmination of years of experimenting with our sound coming back to a new version of PAPA ROACH," shares PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix. "Filming this music video with Jason and Sueco was one of the most fun experiences we've had and I am so excited to share it with the world."

The genre-bending banger was produced by Colin "Doc" Brittain and Nick Furlong (ALL TIME LOW, A DAY TO REMEMBER, AVICII), and features the saxophone stylings of co-collaborator Spencer Nezey, showcasing PAPA ROACH's bravado at an all-time high.

"This is one of the favorite songs I've ever made," Sueco shares on the collab. "PAPA ROACH has been an inspiration of mine since I was a kid, so working with them was super dope and a dream come true!"

Butler adds: "I've said it before and I'll say it again — this band has somehow managed to be a legacy AND relevant all at once. So, naturally, when I got the call to hop on this track there was no question. With Sueco doing his thing, the track's got three different vibes that all work together. This shit is different and that's exactly what rock needs. More DIFFERENT shit. Thanks to these modern legends for making sure it happened."

Along with the song release, PAPA ROACH also announced that it has entered into a new global distribution and marketing services agreement with ADA (WMG's independent label and artist services arm). Of the partnership, Cat Kreidich, ADA president, shares: "We couldn't be more elated to have PAPA ROACH in the ADA family. With our talented teams and strong relationships across various territories, we look forward to activating an even wider global audience, as we support them in this new musical chapter." In addition, PAPA ROACH has also reactivated its own label, New Noize Records, a second incarnation of the band's early 2000s label enterprise.

PAPA ROACH will be joining BREAKING BENJAMIN on a handful of shows this fall while also taking the stage at both the Blue Ridge Rock festival and the inaugural Rebel Rock Fest.

'Abschaum' - a groovy, catchy song with industrial influences. This new single of SCHATTENMANN comes with a lot of hit potential and great expressive statement. The German Rock outfit speeds up on the way to mainstream rock and wide perception and catching up to established acts like EISBRECHER and HÄMATOM.

With their new, third album 'Chaos', Schattenmann demonstrate unmistakably: their music becomes harder, more metallic, more multifaceted and uncompromising in terms of content. They have taken the decisive third step and move the essence of the new songs with relentless consistency into the focus of their uncompromising sound. The band has purposefully expanded their sound to include modern and fresher elements. Musically there are no restrictions, the new songs get more character through the influences of metal and industrial.

‘Chaos’ will be the decisive third step in Schattenmann’s career, moving with unyielding consistency the essence of the new material into the focus of their uncompromising sound. Herzig: “Due to the fact that almost all new songs were composed on the guitar, the material sounds more metal-oriented, heavier, you could say: it’s more crash, bang, wallop!” The Schattenmann frontman is referring to numbers such as ‘Spring’ or ‘Alles auf Anfang’, but also to ‘Abschaum’ and ‘Chaos’ with their unmistakable metal roots, which contrast with a pop-oriented number like ‘Cosima’ and Schattenmann-typical tracks such as ‘Amnestie’ and ‘Extrem’.

In line with its musically harsher pace, the lyrics on ‘Chaos’ are also honest, direct and straight-in-your-face. “Socio-critical topics are nothing new for us, ‘Generation Sex’ and ‘Amok’ on our debut already touched on a number of sore points,” Herzig explains, “but this time the lyrics are even more focussed and direct. We question things, comment on negative developments, excesses, the underbelly of society, ranging from social deficiencies to self-hatred.” He is referring to tracks like ‘Cosima’ with its underlying question of whether love is still needed in the digital age. On ‘Alman’ and ‘Abschaum’, Schattenmann highlight the positive and negative sides of society, before ‘IYFF’ focusses on another brand-hot topic: “The acronym stands for ‘In Your Fucking Face’ and addresses the deplorable trend of shitstorms on social media. Mind you, the term “social media” is a contradiction in itself. Social is definitely not what happens on the Internet a lot of the time.”

Swedish multi-instrumentalist Per Wiberg has unveiled an epic new lyric video companion to his solo EP, All Is Well In The Land Of The Living, But For The Rest Of Us… Lights Out, out now on Despotz Records. The twenty-plus minute video can be found below.

A sonic craftsman of the highest order, Wiberg’s work has illuminated an array of classic albums (and stages) over the years performing with the likes of Opeth, Spiritual Beggars, and Candlemass as well as Clutch/The Bakerton Group, Switchblade, and Kamchatka to name just a few. However, it’s Wiberg’s solo work that serves as the pinnacle of his odyssey through music. Over three decades of expertise culminate into a sound that is distinctly Per Wiberg’s own.

In 2019, Wiberg released his debut solo offering, Head Without Eyes, consummating his career as a musician with an eruption of soulful song. Nordic prog in a gnawing stew of jolting guitar notes, jangling bones, and emotive melodies, the recording laid bare a beautifully uncharted new terrain that outstripped the laurels of his past and solidified his strong presence as a unique solo artist in his own right.

Aptly titled for these turbulent times, Wiberg’s latest EP, All Is Well In The Land Of The Living, But For The Rest Of Us... Lights Out, is a commanding celebration of innovative rock at its best. Expanding and further evolving his vision, Wiberg adeptly paints the definitive and familiar paradigms of golden age progressive rock with spirited and electrifying twists of dark tone. Listening to a master weave his deep spells, from shadow to light, we are at once entranced and delighted in equal measure as Per Wiberg brews a potent concoction that’s captivating, catchy and forever expansive and impassioned.

From tracks like “All Is Well”, which comes across like Young Gods gone prog, to the haunting and avant-garde “But For The Rest Of Us”, which basks in dark improv in the vein of Alice Coltrane/Sun Ra, Wiberg unfolds his sound out in blankets of fresh atmosphere. “In The Land Of The Living” smashes latter era Sonic Youth alt rock into the heavy fuzzing riffs of King Crimson/Hawkwind with a bassline that has you hitting the steering-wheel across bleak highways while “Lights Out” lies on the melancholic side of Dark Side Of The Moon with Ulver at their most post-pop and early Porcupine Tree at their most anthemic. If you want to hear Swedish progressive metal taken to the next level of dark melodic exploration, you will find your black heart shrouded in a very different kind of heavy with All Is Well In The Land Of The Living...

Per Wiberg’s All Is Well In The Land Of The Living, But For The Rest Of Us... Lights Out is available on LP and digital formats. Find physical orders at this location and digital orders here.

Tracklisting:

"All Is Well"
"In The Land Of The Living"
"But For The Rest Of Us..."
"Lights Out"




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Ottawa’s Deformatory delivers another slab from their concept album depicting an interdimensional horde seeking to consume the essence of planetary life. This narrative dives deeper into the scenery that was originally created in their previous album, Malediction (2016). Inversion Of The Unseen Horizon is broken up into three chapters and the band explains how their next single “Summoning The Cosmic Devourer” fits in:

“This chapter (II. Incursion: The Prototypal Eschaton) is written from the perspective of the Grand Arkitekt as he executes his compulsion for interdimensional domination. Witness his journey through Xuul ‘Ka, the cosmic portal he conjures to tunnel into dimensions, and the vision he has of the coming apocalypse for the Earth star. The single “Summoning The Cosmic Devourer” explores the dark art of creating Xuul ‘Ka. All life stars possess the ingredients required for the Conjuring and the path to Summoning.”

The lyrics for this album are partly inspired by The Scarlet Gospels by Clive Barker’s and guitarist and vocalist Charlie Leduc’s own interpretation and expansion of the Hellraiser mythos. This is the foundation block that helped to propel the entire concept, which was uniquely crafted and independently developed.  The single and final track on the record, “Beyond The Abhorrence” starts to draw a conclusion to the predicament of an evil race of inter-dimensional light devourers find themselves in.

A sonically relentless death metal experience, Deformatory is recommended for fans of Morbid Angel, Origin, and Hate Eternal.

Inversion Of The Unseen Horizon will be released on September 3. Pre-order on Bandcamp.

Tracklisting:

Chapter I – Inception: The Cyru’xilean Nexus
“Within The Astral Abscess”
“Behold, The Apex Of Decay”
“Engineering The Wvrmhorde”

Chapter II – Incursion: The Prototypal Eschaton
“Summoning The Cosmic Devourer”
“Masticated By An Infinite Shadow”
“In The Embervoid Where Dead Stars Reign”

Chapter III – Inversion: The Horizontal Reflection
“Deciphering The Archetype”
“Impaled Upon The Carrionspire”
“Beyond The Abhorrence”

"Summoning The Cosmic Devourer" video:

"Impaled Upon The Carrionsphere" video:

“In The Embervoid Where Dead Stars Reign”:




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In a new interview with Bandbond, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares recalled a particularly funny incident from a major tour the band played in the mid-1990s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There was one time when we were touring with MEGADETH, and we did about five weeks with MEGADETH in the U.S. And right after the tour, we went on tour with IRON MAIDEN. And so every night, we always say on the microphone, 'Hey, thank you for having us tonight. Are you guys ready for so-and-so?' which is the headlining act. So we had just got off the MEGADETH tour. We went on to the IRON MAIDEN tour. And our singer [Burton C. Bell] says, 'Hey, thank you for having us tonight. If you wanna go to the merch table, buy some merch… Blah blah blah… Are you guys ready for MEGADETH?' And we were on tour with IRON MAIDEN. And it was really funny, because Steve Harris [IRON MAIDEN bassist] was standing on the side of the stage and I wanna say Janick Gers [IRON MAIDEN guitarist]. And they were just laughing at us, they were making fun of us, because [Burton] had one of those 'Spinal Tap' moments."

Dino also talked about the lessons he and his bandmates learned while spending time on the road with some of the biggest names in heavy metal.

"In some ways, a lot of the bands that we toured with taught us how to tour," he said. "Because some of these bands that we toured with was in the beginning of our career, or early on in our career. And just seeing how they do it and how the professionals do it, it was eye-opening. Just the knowledge of how they know how to go and direct the crowd, how the singer talks to the crowd, how the guitar player moves, the bass player, the drummer… All those things really inspired us. How they set up their stage, how they set up their gear. All that stuff really was very fun for us, because we were still learning. We were like a sponge; our mind was like a sponge. It was, like, 'Oh, wow. They did that.' 'Oh, wow. They did this.' 'Oh, okay, that's how you do that.' So all of them inspired us and all of them showed us an interesting way of how they do things and how you can learn from those things. And so they were all fun to us — all of 'em."

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", came out on June 18 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP features Cazares; drummer Mike Heller; and former vocalist, lyricist, and co-founder Burton C. Bell. It was produced and engineered by Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN), with keyboards by Igor Khoroshev (ex-YES), and programming on two songs from longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY). "Aggression Continuum" was mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM), who also mixed FEAR FACTORY's previous album, 2015's "Genexus".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

On September 3, TUESDAY THE SKY will release its new album, "The Blurred Horizon", via Metal Blade Records. The official music video for the disc's title track can be seen below.

TUESDAY THE SKY's origins could almost be considered accidental. Guitarist Jim Matheos, famed for his work with progressive metal giants FATES WARNING alongside projects such as OSI and his collaboration with John Arch, ARCH/MATHEOS, penned a few songs that did not fit in with any of his established outlets, and intrigued by this, decided to write more and see where this took him. The result was 2017's "Drift", a record that drew influence from the likes of Brian Eno, SIGUR ROS, BOARDS OF CANADA and EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, and now he returns with its successor, "The Blurred Horizon". A mixture of ambient, electronica, post-rock and more, "The Blurred Horizon" is perhaps best described as a beautiful record, having a natural grace to it. While predominantly the work of Matheos, he is not the sole performer on the record, enlisting the help of other musicians where necessary.

"It's primarily a solo project, but with the idea of having different guests on each record to help fill it out and, hopefully, give each one a slightly different sound," Matheos says. "With the first record, there was Anna Lynne Williams on vocals for a couple of songs, and Lloyd Hanney of GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT on drums. For this one, the live drums on five tracks were handled by Gavin Harrison of THE PINEAPPLE THIEF, KING CRIMSON and PORCUPINE TREE. He's my absolute favorite drummer, so he was the first person I thought of when I decided that some of the songs could benefit from real drums. I originally was thinking of just one or two songs, but once I heard how good he made them sound, I kept asking him do more, which, thankfully, he agreed to. His playing added a whole new dimension to the songs, particularly on 'Hypneurotic', where he plays two different full drum kit takes, panned left and right, to achieve a kind of 'double drummer' effect."

"Everything Is Free" — the closing track and only one on the record to include vocals — is a cover of a Gillian Welch and David Rawlings song from 2001.

"FATES WARNING were thinking about doing some cover tunes as bonus tracks for 'Long Day Good Night' (2020), and when that didn't happen, I kept this one in mind for a future project," Matheos says. "It seemed to fit nicely here, even though it's an otherwise instrumental album, and the vocals are by Tim Bowness. Like Gavin, Tim is someone I've worked with in the past, with OSI and several other projects. He's got a beautiful voice and his gentle delivery is just what I wanted for this one."

"The Blurred Horizon" track listing

01. Half Remembered

02. Near Light

03. Cwmwl

04. Where The Enemy Sleeps

05. Laudanum Dream

06. Hypneurotic

07. Later, Then Now

08. Near Dark

09. Half Forgotten

10. The Blurred Horizon

11. Everything Is Free

Frontiers Music Srl recently released the debut album from one of their most exciting new projects, a collaboration between powerhouse Finnish vocalists Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast) and Netta Laurenne (Smackbound), under the banner Laurenne/Louhimo.

The Reckoning is available on CD/LP/Digital. Order/save The Reckoning here, and watch the new video for "Striking Like A Thunder" below.

"With this album, I wanted to capture the essence of classic heavy metal and hard rock and combine it with great melodies and lyrics that have value. It was clear from the beginning, having two strong voices on the album, that this album was going to be full of power, energy, attitude and emotion. I envisioned it lovingly kicking everyone’s ass, my own included, and I think it does just that. It’s pushing us to do better and evolve, yet having great empathy towards the struggles we all face as humans," says Netta Laurenne.

”My inspiration was definitely the thought of empowering and the songs giving a feeling of strength and sensitivity. And us interpreting the songs from our hearts and souls with full force, leaving no question about how passionate we are as vocalists and artists," adds Noora Louhimo.

After Perugino approached Netta about the possibility of some new projects for the label, including a duets album, Netta realized this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill her idea of a collaborative album with Noora. And now, these two incredible singers have put together a storming melodic metal album.

Tracklisting:

"Time To Kill The Night"
"The Reckoning"
"Tongue Of Dirt"
"Striking Like A Thunder"
"Bitch Fire"
"Hurricane Love"
"To The Wall"
"Viper's Kiss"
"Walk Through Fire"
"Dancers Of Truth"

"Striking Like A Thunder" video:

"Viper's Kiss":

"The Reckoning" video:

"Bitch Fire" video:




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Canada’s Ravenous have announced that their third release Hubris is coming out this year and the first single “Die 1,000 Deaths” is out now, complete with both English and Japanese animated music videos.

“Hubris” is chock full of anthemic hits and this single may be the most fist-pumping one on the album. According to the band, the aim of the track is to give listeners the drive to break their limits and fight for every shred of glory in their lives - to always strive for the apex and conquer anything that stands in their way. Ravenous share their thoughts on the album:

“Take a journey with us to an arcade tower in Japan and experience the sensory overload equivalent to a Kaiju battle in an early-2000's anime. Die 1000 Deaths was Rav’s delirious and frantic output in the chemically imbalanced early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and underwent zero changes from its initial structure and tone. He based the lyrics off of Akuma - his favourite street fighter character - to properly represent the feeling and themes of the music. Try and stay calm as Akuma takes over your computer in the ‘Die 1000 Deaths’ video.”

This song is the perfect introduction to the album as it embodies everything the band wants to represent with the album. It’s fast, busy, symphonic, and tongue-in-cheek, featuring a whirlwind of riffs and breakdowns, three guitar solos (including a guest solo by Aether Realm guitarist Heinrich Yoshio), and was also recorded entirely in Japanese as an alternate bonus version.

Fast and frantic, the song can be coined as “very anime”, clearly inspired by Japanese Power Metal and following the Eastern Hirajoshi scale. Lyrically, the song is about a murderous figure that kills his master in pursuit of ultimate power. His only goal is to finally find a foe worthy of his full strength, and his hubris will kill all in his path in that pursuit.

“Die 1,000 Deaths” is best served with a sake bomb along with a spicy bowl of ramen and will be enjoyed by fans of Dragonforce, Galneryus, and Orden Ogan. BraveWords is premiering the video; check out both versions below:

Hubris will be released on October 22, 2021 via Feast Beast Records for North America plus Europe and for Asia via Spiritual Beast with exclusive bonus tracks. Preorders begin August 9 at Indiegogo .

Tracklisting:

"Carnage In Carthage" 
"Astral Elixir" 
"Son Of Storms" 
"Die 1000 Deaths" 
"Bridgeburner" 
"The Alder Queen"
"March Of Hunger" 
"Claw Is The Law" 
"Onwards & Upwards" 
"…Of Beasts And Faust" 

Japanese Version Exclusives

"Cakaw Te Partiro" 
"一瞬千撃"

(Photo credit - Monika Deviat)




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Canadian rock veterans Helix have posted new live footage online along with the following message:

"Last Saturday night at Widder Station in Thedford, the new beautiful outdoor concert venue of Lampton Shores. This is the song we sent out to Donny Simmons, one of the original 1974 Helix line up, who passed away suddenly on the same day Dusty Hill of ZZ TOP died. We played with ZZ Top in 2019 at Rock Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. What's the song we dedicated? Why, 'Heavy Metal Cowboys', of course!"

Don Simmons, the original founding keyboard player for Helix, passed away recently at the age of 64.

Simmons played in the original Helix band featuring singer Brian Vollmer, drummer Bruce Arnold, guitarist Ron Watson, and bassist Keith “Burt” Zurbrigg. Simmons gigged with Helix from 1974 - 1976 and was still in the group for a short time when Brent “The Doctor” Doerner joined, beginning the transformation into the modern band.

In 2004, Helix staged a massive reunion that included many of their former surviving members. The original band, including Simmons on keyboards, got up on stage for the first time in 30 years and played "Buff’s Bar Blues", a mainstay of their early sets. The show was released as the 30th Anniversary Concert.

Helix frontman Brian Vollmer paid tribute to Simmons via a Facebook post, which can be read below.

Vollmer: "Yesterday I found out through my cousin Elaine Schiestel that original Helix keyboardist Don Simmons had passed away suddenly. That makes two of the original Helix members who have died over the past couple of years; the other being guitarist Ron Watson.

Don was from Listowel and we both went to school at L.D.S.S. We had both been in a high school band called Homegrown. The drummer was Kevin Webster on drums, Larry Schneider on guitar, and Bill Bailey on bass guitar. We weren’t very good but it was a start, and  it got us playing a couple of high school dances.  Kevin decided to enter us in a contest in Kitchener, which was about 30 miles away.  The contest in question was The Battle of the Bands at the Central Ontario Exhibition. We went the night before to check out the competition, and after seeing what we were up against we wanted to crawl away and hide under a rock. These bands from Kitchener made us look & sound like rank beginners.  We were now frightened. But we played the next night anyway.  Needless to say we weren’t the high light of the competition, but we did catch the eye of some Kitchener musicians, Bruce Arnold & Rob Watson.

The first incarnation of Helix was Don Simmons/keyboards, Bruce Arnold/drums, Rick Trembly/guitar, Ron Watson/guitar, Keith Zurbrigg/bass, and myself. Rick was quickly ousted from the band by Bruce & Ron. We practiced the same 5 songs or so every night at the practice hall on Margaret Street in Kitchener above an old garage.  The main house, which was once owned by J.M. Schneider ironically enough, was rented by a band called Cerebrum. Eventually we stretched that into a couple of sets and started to get gigs through DRAM Agency. We bombed all of them, but in retrospect, we were just out of the basement. Rock and roll babies…

When William Seip entered the scene things suddenly got very serious. Our first 'road' gig was in Deep River, Ontario by Petawawa. We also played The Kap Inn in Kapuskasing, the Travelhost in Timmins, and a few other bars I’d rather forget.  Life on the road was especially tough and decidedly unglamourous.

One of our top places to play was The Sebringvilla in Sebringville. The main attraction that drew the people in for us was Donny on his keyboards playing 'Frankenstein' by Edgar Winter, 'Roundabout' by Yes, and 'Funeral For A Friend' by Elton John. Don was all in his glory and was a chick magnet. Add to that he had a hot car in his Chevy Nova, and  voila!—'rock n’ roll lifestyle!'

However, as I said, life on the road was a lot less glamorous than everyone made it out to be. Pay was shit, the rooms up north were third world, and the life itself lonely. Bruce was the first to leave the band to marry his wife Bonnie. They are still together today. Unlike Bruce, who I kept in constant contact with however, Donny went his way and I went mine. This wasn’t a conscious effort; I just didn’t know where he was or what he was doing.  Occasionally he’d surface or I’d accidentally run into him when I was visiting my parents in Listowel.

All that changed when we celebrated the 30th Anniversary concert at The Sanderson Center and the original band kicked off the show with 'The Buff’s Bar Blues'. The practices rolling up to the actual playing date were full of fuzzy warm feelings, cool vibes, and re-connecting. I could tell all the old line-up loved being in the spotlight again, even if it was only for one song on one night. I enjoyed being there with them for it. It was a special moment in my life-one I’ll never forget.

After that I seldom ran into Don. The exception was one day at a restaurant in Listowel. Don was sitting at the next table and I went over and we had a nice conversation for about 20 minutes.  I was with my mother, so I couldn’t talk any longer. That was the last time I saw him, although I tried to reach out through Bruce Arnold a couple of times, but even Bruce didn’t really know where he was or how to contact him.

I talked with Bruce yesterday and he told me that he and Donny had made many jam tapes that he hopes to do something with. He last saw Don a couple of weeks ago when he unexpectedly showed up at his house. The two of them had a nice conversation; Don looked to be in good health, and then he left.  

So raise a glass to Don Simmons! He was there at the beginning, and part of the Helix story and my life. Thank you for those memories, Don.

Much love and peace on the other side."




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